14 killed, 25 injured in bus accident on Agra-Lucknow expressway

Fourteen people were killed and 25 injured when a bus rammed into a stationary truck on the Agra-Lucknow expressway here, officials said on Thursday.

The accident took place on Wednesday night, they said.

"The toll in the bus accident has gone up to 14. Besides, 25 injured are undergoing treatment in different hospitals," Senior Superintendent of Police Sachindra Patel said.

SP (Rural) Rajesh Kumar said the accident took place around 10 pm on Wednesday in the Nagla Khanagar police station area when the double-decker bus carrying passengers from Delhi to Motihari, in north Bihar, crashed into the stationary truck.

There were around 50 people on the bus at the time of the accident, Kumar said.

One of the passengers, who was admitted to Etawah hospital, told newspersons that he lost consciousness after the crash.

"When I regained consciousness, I found everything around me lying broken. I was on the upper floor of the sleeper bus when the accident occurred. I was brought here (Saifai hospital in Etawah) in an ambulance later. All the passengers were from Bihar. I don't know what happened to the one who was sleeping on the adjoining seat," he said.

The cleaner of the truck, who was also injured, said, "I was changing the deflated tyre of my truck by the side of the road when a speeding bus coming from behind dashed into it. My associates, including the driver, are badly hurt."

He added the bus was being driven rashly.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed district officials to ensure proper treatment of the injured, a senior official said in Lucknow.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased and wished the injured a speedy recovery. "The road accident on the Agra-Lucknow Expressway in Uttar Pradesh has caused deep grief. Many passengers have lost their lives ... My condolences to the families of the victims in this hour of grief. I wish those injured recover soon," the Prime Minister's Office said in a tweet quoting Modi.